A Thorough Guy Home Inspections

Mike did an incredible escrow home inspection for us. It's common for reviewers to reiterate his thoroughness, which is true, but an element my family appreciated, that we don't see mentioned often, is his thoughtfulness. Considering his inspection can take a fair amount of time, Mike brought with him a cooler full of drinks, snacks, tools, and chargers that he insisted we use at our leisure. Given that home buying experience can be very hectic, we were so appreciative of this as we'd forgotten a few essentials on our way over to the home the day of the inspection, e.g. enough to drink and a tape measure. :-) Thank you, Mike. Should we buy another home in the future, we know exactly who to call!

Mike Okamura was AWESOME as an inspector. He was slightly more expensive than the other home inspectors, but he SAVED ME MORE THAN 10 TIMES THE COST OF HIS REPORT. My electrician said it was the best home inspection report he’d seen in his entire long career. I used Mike Okamura’s report for 2 things: First, it helped me negotiate thousands of dollars off the purchase price of the house (HUGE savings.) Second, I used his detailed report as my “to-do list” for the next 5 years. He identified the high-priority tasks, so it was easy to figure out what to do first. I would use his services again without hesitation. I found him through Angie's List.

We are thoroughly satisfied with "A Thorough Guy Home Inspections". No problem making the appointment. The contract is very-well written with detailed explanations of his credentials and scope/limits of work. My husband-the-lawyer was impressed. He's not easily impressed. We were not in a rush and booked one week in advance. He arrived on schedule. He is absolutely as thorough and professional as advertised. He books only one appointment a day, so checks everything. At the end of his inspection he went over his findings with me....perhaps 45 minutes - 1 hour...there was a lot to discuss. We received the emailed full report (80+ pages) with color photos within a couple hours after he left. Really appreciated the color-coding of priorities; categorization by trade skill (electrical, plumbing, roof, etc.), clear and precise writing. Our house is older with a lot of deferred maintenance and we needed a way to get our minds around all the things that need to be done and with some prioritization. Our inspection report has given us all that. Highly recommend for anyone considering a major remodel.

I would not hesitate to recommend Mike to anyone else, and I would not even consider hiring any other person for future inspection needs.

Mike is, indeed, very thorough. He showed up 30 minutes early and got started right away. My husband and I were both present, as were my realtor and a plumber friend. All of us were very impressed with Mike's attention to detail, not just with his findings but also in the way he clearly documented them to us. He spent more than 5 hours going through every corner of the home, and then he spent another hour with my husband and I going through the report. His report was invaluable to us in our negotiations w/the home seller, and it was a good lesson to us in discerning what things are a big deal and which things are liveable. I would not hesitate to use Mike again and I will (and have) referred him over and over again. When Mike starts his inspection, he will tell you that his job is to point things out and that those things may or may not be a big deal. I think it's important to keep this in mind so that you don't freak out and feel like the home you are buying is about to be condemned. And for the areas that he does not point out as potential problems, you can rest assured that those areas are pristine. I have no doubt that Mike is the best at what he does. Good service, nice guy. WORTH EVERY PENNY. I'm pretty sure that the seller and seller's agent (and maybe even my agent, a little) hate him, but he was an amazing asset to my husband and I as buyers.

Mike Okamura truly lived up to his business name "A Thorough Guy." He spent about 4 hours going through our home, top to bottom, then another hour going over his report. He identified items with issues in and around our house that I didn't even know existed. He identified issues that were present in our house 12 years when we were buying it that did not show up in the inspector's report then. I like his coding system to prioritize the need for attention for each item. Although there were plenty of issues to give attention to, I am glad for Mike's report as I my house seems less of a scary mystery to me. I believe I now know exactly what needs to be done and in what order. Mike's report is worth every penny paid for it.

True to his name, Mike was EXTREMELY thorough. He arrived at the home on schedule and began with the exterior right away. The house was an older home with much deferred maintenance and his report was invaluable to us in our escrow process as well as our renovations and repairs after. His inspection lasted a pretty long time, but the comprehensive report at the end is definitely worth it. The extensive photographs and descriptions of the various areas that needed work helped us and our contractors decide on scope and extent of work we needed.

Mike did a great job and was very comprehensive. We feel that we have a good understanding of the condition of the buildings on the property. Mike was on time and very professional. Thank you Mike.

He's not a salesman...very professional ..spent over 5 hours on property gave me a great deal of information He's very organized. I had a more inexpensive home inspector but Mike's professionalism was swayed me to opt for him You will not regret hiring him!

Mike has done an outstanding job with our 1st home inspection (we would have purchased) as he saved us from what would've been a major headache. He is very thorough and communicates clearly upon his findings. We are most impressed with his professionalism as after his findings, he goes through each line item with detailed information. We are using Mike again for another home inspection and we feel he is honest and very well experienced. He is passionate in what he does as his work ethic shows he's a very reliable source.

Mike was awesome and certainly lived up to his name! He spent six hours examining everything and explaining his report in detail. His experience and service are invaluable tools going forward and I would definitely use his service again! This is the guy you want if you're buying or considering a remodel. Outstanding!

It was pretty expensive, but he was good. He was very thorough. You get what you pay for!

It went perfectly. Mike provides the most thorough and detailed report. He is a friend of buyers but maybe not so much of real estate agents. We were extremely happy with the report.

Mike spent a considerable amount of time reviewing each and every system. He was very thorough (no pun intended) and knowledgeable. His reporting was broken down into several categories and graded so that one could prioritize the issues. After he was done with the report he spent another hour explaining all the issues. His report is a great tool to use in discussions with the seller and as a punchlist to fix those items that are not fixed by the seller.

Mike is nothing short of AWESOME. He covered EVERYTHING. He completed the inspection and has us meet him when he was finished. He spent an hour going over every detail, no matter how small. I definitely feel educated about the issues with the home. He recommended specialized inspections for different things. He's a bit pricier than other inspectors that I got quotes from, but I feel it was worth every penny. He has a passion for what he does, and I definitely recommend his services. Side note - He brought a cooler with all types of drinks and snacks to keep us satiated during the meeting!!!

Mike lived up to his business' name! We called him and he gave us an over-the-phone estimate of $500 for the house we were looking at. On this first house, he spent over 4 hours inspecting the 1900 square feet and the exterior (our realtor informed us that the usual time frame is 2-3 hours max). He then sat down with my husband and went over all his findings for an hour. Honestly, his report was slightly overwhelming because the house did not look to be in horrible shape. But his 110(!) page report revealed that the house had significant issues - lots of them! Our realtor again informed us that the average inspection report is perhaps 40 pages. So beware that if you are the type who cannot let little things go, it can be a bit overwhelming. BUT, based on his findings we had other specialists come out and confirm what Mike had said, and in the end we decided not to go with the house. I'm pretty sure Mike saved us from a potentially hazardous and expensive decision! We found a second house we were interested in and debated whether or not to use Mike because of the extra cost. In the end, we decided to spend the extra couple hundred dollars, and we're so glad we did. He again provided us with a 100 page report, but this time we felt comfortable moving forward with the home purchase. He was so helpful in going through the issues, answering our questions, and giving us his thoughts on whether or not these were things that could be easily fixed. True to his word, he does provide ongoing advice and consultation after the inspection, as my husband has contacted him numerous times with follow-up questions. Overall, we really appreciated Mike's work. He will take the necessary time to go through every nook and cranny of the house to make sure you know exactly what you are getting. If we ever go through this house buying thing again (which we hope we don't have to!), we will call Mike for sure!

He is super thorough, caught every little thing, I expect it will be great when it comes to negotiating time. He cost more than other people, but the value is definitely there. He spent 6 hours examining the home and caught all kinds of issues that other inspectors wouldn't even know were a potential problem.

Mike is a true professional in all aspects of the home inspection business. Being that a home purchase is most likely ones largest purchase of their lifetime, skimping out and trying to save $200 on a home inspector is not a wise choice. Did you know that CA does not require home inspectors to have any prior licenses or trainings aside from a licensing course and related test? So Basically anyone who passes the test can be a home inspector. Pretty scary to allow such an easy process basically decide your largest purchase of your lifetime. Not only does Mike hold MULTIPLE licenses and training NOT REQUIRED his educational background is ENGINEERING. Mike is probably the most qualified inspector in southern CA and is truly worth every dollar. We had Mike inspect a home in Fullerton with an unpermitted kitchen and family room. My wife and I loved th house and were blinded by the expensive finishes. Mike clearly documented the MULTITUDE of serious code violations. He literally saved us from making a bad investment. We even had a foundation specialist, sewer inspector, and termite inspector come separately and Mike had independently cooberated their findings. We eventually cancelled escrow. Its the the little details that makes Mike the best; professionally prepared binder copy of report, great communication and promptness, an iPad with cell service to keep you busy while he's inspecting, and drinks with delicious snacks. Mike is highly regarded for a reason with over 220 reviews on Angie's List. You pay for what you get so don't be cheap as he will earn every cent and protect you to the fullest.

Mike was a true professional and took pride in his inspection. This is the third house my wife and I have purchased and Mike gave us the most Thorough inspection we have ever had. Not only was the inspection thorough but he had examples of what could possibly happen if not fixed, what is the correct way to fix the item in question and photo examples of items done the right way so you can get the whole mental image why he was pointing that particular item out. If you are buying a home I can't recommend Mike enough.

We hired Mike to inspect a house that we are thinking of buying. He came highly recommended, and boy, did he not disappoint. The entire inspection took nearly 5 hours. He went through every nook and cranny of the place, walking on the roof, going through the attic and spelunking through the crawl space. His report with detailed pictures was amazing. The way he organized and prioritized what he found superb, not to mention his professionalism. Heck! I learned so much from him. He provided great resources and really explained the issues in a way that was easy to comprehend. I had no problem explaining to my wife what the areas of need were. Overall, I would 100% recommend Mike, A Thorough Guy, because no joke, he is extremely thorough and completely lives up to the name.

We were buying a home built in 1957. It had been remodeled in 1992, foreclosed on and sold at auction in 2015 to an investment group who was requesting that we get our home inspection done within 7 days. I texted Mike Okamura at 3pm on Sunday 4/17/2016. It was the fastest way to get your appointment scheduled. By 5pm I had an appointment for Wednesday 4/20/2016. Mike had arrived early and had completed most of the inspection of the exterior by the time we arrived at 1pm. Exactly as others have put in their review, he had brought a cooler with water, juice, soda and snacks along with tape measure. It took him over 4 hours but we were amazed at the detailed report with pictures. He would point out problems (with a picture) and supplied pictures of the "correct way" the item should have been done/installed/etc. As promised, we received an emailed copy of our inspection by the time we returned home. I would highly recommend him to anyone who was purchasing a home and wants a "complete and totally thorough" home inspection!

First of all, our appointment was at 1:30PM. I'm not sure what time Mike actually arrived on site because he had finished the outside portion of the inspection when I arrived at 1:30PM. That was great! I don't mean to say he's "thorough" just because he's called the "Thorough Guy", but he really took the time and energy to be very detailed in his inspection. We got out of the property at 5:30PM. So you can estimate 4+ hours of work on his end. With that said, photos of all the "problem" areas on the property were taken and presented as part of his final presentation to us. He knew his codes, he made us aware of roofing issues, as well as leads on mold (although he is not a mold inspector). This property had been vacant for 2+ years, and at the end of the inspection, and a very thorough explanation of all the findings, I am very confident that I am very well aware of the property and problems.

Mike was very professional. His inspections were just as his name sake implies...extremely thorough. Mike does not like to discuss his findings until after his inspections. He provides refreshments, writing tools, and even an iPad while you're waiting. Mike isn't the greatest at explaining issues with the home. He is very technical and detailed. He generally recommends seeing 'experts' regarding most issues found. If you want a great investigator who will lay the facts out for you than you've come to the right place.

Mike was such a professional, nice and personable guy. He took his time explaining what he found in our soon-to-be home. Used an iPad to walk me through his report of the home inspection and it included photos so I could see what he was talking about. Being a first time home buyer, I had no idea what to expect or if I'd even understand what he was talking about. I felt so at ease, and he answered my questions without making me feel dumb for asking them. (hah!) He also came very prepared - he used photos from other houses to show what some things in our house SHOULD look like and how it could be fixed. I appreciated that tremendously. His name definitely fits: A Thorough Guy, indeed! Side note: he used a drone to inspect our roof, very handy and great idea! The photos of the roof provided a lot of insight. He provided a cooler with a bunch of different drinks and snacks for us. He even had a tape measure and notebook that I used to write down window sizes (to order curtains). He thinks of everything. His report was organized, and easy to navigate. I appreciate the binder he provided us so we could store the home inspection in once we printed it. Once he was done explaining his findings, he let me know the report would be emailed within about an hour. It was! I would highly recommend him, and will use him again if we ever decide to move/buy again in the future. Fair warning, the report is a lot, A LOT of pages, so when/if you decide to print, make sure you have the ink and the paper ready!

Very professional, high-quality work. His price is higher than many home inspection companies, but you will get an extra level of detail in the report for that price. The extra detail is helpful if you feel the need to know all the small things; otherwise it may be overwhelming. Just know what you're looking for and what you're paying for -- for me, I'd prefer to know everything and then decide what to prioritize. Mike provided a well-prepared report with lots of pictures, and took the time to walk through everything. I am happy with his work and professionalism. Side note: Mike notes that he's never been sued. I believe his work is high quality, and that's a large part of the reason. However, his contract also halves the statute of limitations, and requires arbitration (he's never been one of the parties in arbitration either). As he describes in his profile, Mike also includes recommendations to consult other professionals (electrician, plumber, roofer, etc.) as necessary for more detailed analysis, which significantly limits his liability. This is to be expected; I don't think he's legally allowed to assess the extra things he's recommending other trades look at.